Around the Tubes: December 12, 2020

 
I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on The Undoing, Letterkenny, Desus & Mero, The Curse, Kid Cudi, Anthony Hamilton, Paris Jackson, Shannon LaBrie, Greta Van Fleet, Black Pistol Fire, The L Word, and James Blake .

- Nothing stays hidden! From Emmy®, Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning director Susanne Bier (“The Night Manager”, Bird Box) and the Emmy® -winning creator of “Big Little Lies,” David E. Kelley and starring Emmy®, Academy Award and Golden Globe-winner Nicole Kidman (HBO’s “Big Little Lies”) and Emmy® nominee and Golden Globe and BAFTA Award winner Hugh Grant (“A Very English Scandal”), comes the highly anticipated six-part limited series, THE UNDOING: AN HBO LIMITED SERIES from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-ray and DVD March 23, 2021. Making HBO history as the first Original Series to grow viewership consistently week after week over the course of its season, the thriller will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish with all six gripping episodes from the fantastic limited series, plus three bonus features including one where the longtime friends and co-stars discuss working together for the first time. THE UNDOING: AN HBO LIMITED SERIES is priced to own at $24.98 SRP ($29.98 in Canada) for the DVD and $29.98 SRP ($39.99 in Canada) for the Blu-ray which includes a Digital Copy (US Only). Both sets have an order due date of February 9, 2021. THE UNDOING: AN HBO LIMITED SERIES is also available to own on Digital via purchase from all major digital retailers.

- LETTERKENNY kicks off post-fight with Dierks (Tyler Hynes), and the Hicks, Skids, and Hockey Players attend an American Buck and Doe. Katy () takes her scorched earth dating strategy back to Letterkenny and Gail (Lisa Codrington) gets some action of her own. Meanwhile, The Hockey Players learn about Judaism and the whole town gets really into sleepover activities like movies, board games, and girl talk. Then, a competing restaurant opens in Letterkenny and Tanis (Tiio Horn) starts her own energy drink.  All 7 episodes of Season 9 streaming Saturday, December 26

- SHOWTIME announced today that a special episode of DESUS & MERO in which the pair sit down with former President Barack Obama will air Sunday, December 13 at 11:05 p.m. ET/PT. Starting December 14, the special episode will be available for free on YouTube, Showtime.com and Sho.com, as well as across multiple SHOWTIME partner platforms. DESUS & MERO just wrapped its second season and, as previously announced, will return for season three in 2021. Each episode of DESUS & MERO features the co-hosts Desus Nice and The Kid Mero giving their take on the day’s hot topics and chatting with guests at the intersection of pop culture, sports, music, politics and more.  To watch and share a preview clip from the interview, go to: https://youtu.be/RAhQzrsLS-s.

- SHOWTIME announced today it is has ordered the half-hour comedy series THE CURSE, to star Oscar winner Emma Stone (La La Land, The Favourite, Birdman), who will also serve as an executive producer on the project under her Fruit Tree banner. The series will be directed by and co-star Nathan Fielder (Nathan for You, How To with John Wilson), who will also executive produce alongside brothers Josh and Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems) and their Elara Pictures banner. A24 will produce the series. Fielder co-created the series with Benny Safdie, who will also star. THE CURSE is a genre-bending scripted comedy that explores how an alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show.

- After ten years, one of the greatest trilogies in hip-hop gets its final chapter today…Kid Cudi unveils his anxiously awaited seventh full-length studio album and the third installment of his legendary Man On The Moon series, Man On The Moon III: The Chosen [Republic Records].  Get Man On The Moon III: The Chosen HERE  Watch “She Knows This” Video HERE

- GRAMMY® Award-winning, multiplatinum singer, songwriter, producer and actor, Anthony Hamilton makes an important statement with his new single “Mercy” [feat. Tamika D. Mallory].  Get it HERE via his own label My Music Box in partnership with BMG.  In a fiery, yet uplifting opening speech, activist, visionary, and generational voice Tamika D. Mallory declares, “You don’t want pity, but you damn sure deserve a little mercy!” Anthony responds with soulful verses over soft piano and a steady beat as he pleads, “Have a little mercy,” on the powerful and poetic refrain. Together, they deliver the perfect combination of art and activism on a timely and timeless anthem.

- Paris Jackson made her late-night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! performing “let down” from her debut album wilted [Republic Records]. Upon its release, wilted received widespread critical acclaim and climbed to #1 on the iTunes US Alternative Albums Chart.  Filmed at the world-famous Viper Room on the Sunset Strip, the performance illuminates the nuances of her presence and understated, yet palpable star-power.  WATCH THE PERFORMANCE HERE

- Following her successful LP Building, which received acclaim from NPR and American Songwriter, Shannon LaBrie gifts the world with a heartwarming tune, “A Joyful Noise.” The harmonious track offers a sense of hope as the unbridled year of 2020 begins to come to a close, “To me, it's the perfect song to close out a rather difficult year,” LaBrie says of the track. “There’s so much to be hopeful for, and this song keeps my eyes open and looking up!"   “A Joyful Noise” is now available and can be heard HERE.  The music video for “A Joyful Noise” premiered with Parade.com, view it HERE.

- Greta Van Fleet, the GRAMMY-winning, GOLD-certified rock'n'roll band, shared their visionary new video for the song “Age of Machine” today. The video can be viewed HERE.  The video creates a new universe filled with symbolism and open to interpretation, with whispers of reflections on modernism. It is a response, a tiny piece of art in a very large conversation - four brothers and friends who spend very little time online, filled with questions - where is technology taking us, what does it all mean, and what are we trading in exchange? The video addresses the crumbling beauty around us, but leaves the final significance to the viewer - whether that narrative be focused on climate, industrialism, intimacy, self confidence, tradition, humanity itself, or otherwise. The only clear concept in the video is that the band chooses life. 

- BLACK PISTOL FIRE return today with a new live video for the single, “Temper, Temper,” watch the ferocious live clip shot in the band’s hometown of Austin, TX on Rolling Stone Australia HERE.  “Performing with only an acoustic guitar, and with a boombox providing minimal instrumentation, McKeown takes the idea of a ‘field recording’ to the next level, as he shares this exceptionally ferocious take on the already-explosive track.”   --Tyler Jenke, Rolling Stone Australia, (12/4/2020)

- Emmy^® winner Rosie O’Donnell (SMILF), Donald Faison (Scrubs) and Emmy, Golden Globe^® and Academy Award^® nominee Griffin Dunne (HOUSE OF LIES, This is Us) have signed on to guest star in multiple episodes of the second season of the SHOWTIME drama series THE L WORD: GENERATION Q. In addition, Jordan Hull has been upped to series regular this season playing Angie, the daughter of Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) and Tina Kennard (season one guest star Laurel Holloman). THE L WORD: GENERATION Q is currently in production in Los Angeles and will return to the network in 2021.

- GRAMMY® Award-winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Blake has released his highly anticipated new EP, Covers EP. A collection of his favorite covers, the EP is available everywhere now and includes his eagerly awaited rendition of Billie Eilish’s “when the party’s over” as well as his critically acclaimed version of Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed”.  Listen to Covers EP HERE.  “Doing these covers and live performances has kept me going this year…” said Blake as he announced the EP on social media. “I chose to record a few in the studio and it turned into this EP.”

57 Channels and Only This is On: December 6, 2020

 
The Walking Dead: Worlds Beyond:  Wasn’t this supposed to be a limited series?  Seemed like it left multiple treads open.  I thought maybe it was going to tie into the Rick movies, I kind of thought he would show up at the end to tie things in, but no, just a pretty unsatisfying show.  But the big bad seem to go to the Thanos School of helping because they seem to kill quite a few people in their quest to save humanity.
 
 
Fargo:  Well, why not end the season with another worthless dead.  And they saved the worst for last, the acting among all three were just so bad.  Good riddance to this season.  If they do bring back a fifth season, more small time crime and female cops please.  Those are what were missing this season.
 
 
His Dark Materials:  So is snake dude good or evil?  I remember him going between both worlds last season but only vaguely.  Maybe just an opportunist.  But who is the dude in the clock tower and how does snake dude know him?
 
 
Big Sky:  Well, we have already reached spinning our wheels because this is network television and we have to fill so many episodes to squeeze advertising dollars part of the show.  It was pretty obvious that the smart chick that escaped was going to get captured because the story is over if one of them escapes and reports her captures, the story is over.  But I did find it funny that she spent so much time trying to degrade the concrete and then just falls though the rotten wood.  And then so did creepy dude.  I also have to admit that I laughed when Drew Carey’s brother kept on shooting her with an arrow,
 
 
The Flight Attendant:  Well that brother episode was pretty worthless.  I guess that is the advantage of this sill release multiple episodes a week but not all at once model that HBOO Max seems to adapted.  The second episode was much better.  But poor boyfriend got hit by a car.  I was just thinking earlier in the episode he was not going to make it out of the season alive.  Though we will have to wait a week to see if he actually survived or not.
 
 
The Mandalorian:  You kind of had to expect that ending when they entitled the episode, The Tragedy.  Really, kind of a huge spoiler.  But I wonder just how many people Mando is going to round up in his pursuit of Baby Yoda?  He already has Boba Fett and The Calvary.  He looks to break Bill Burr out of prison next week.  Does he also round up Raylan Givens?  Asoka?  Bo Katan?  Apollo Creed?  Pillboi?  Does the Jedi that Baby Yoda summons show up to lend a hand.  Not many know Jedi are out there, I believe it is just Luke and Erza.  Though Sam Jackson claims Mace Windu survived his fall.  Gotta figure someone has to figure in by the end of the season even if it is a final scene tease.